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Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 6 March 2014

Electoral Commission Committee

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2013, Official Report, column 709W, on electoral register, what targets exist for registration form downloads for all current (a) electoral registration drives and (b) awareness campaigns conducted by the Electoral Commission; and how such targets have been set. [189414]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it does not set targets for registration form downloads for all of its campaigns, only where this would be appropriate. The only current campaign with such a target is focussed on increasing the levels of voter registration among British citizens living overseas, which has a target of 25,000 registration form downloads from:

www.aboutmyvote.co.uk

This target was set to expand significantly on the 7,000 forms downloaded during the last European elections campaign for overseas voters in 2009 and to also reflect the increase in internet use in the subsequent period.

The Commission is also in the final stages of preparing its UK-wide voter registration campaign ahead of the May 2014 European parliamentary, local and mayoral elections.

The download target for this campaign will be 150,000 across the UK. These were established to exceed the 137,000 successful downloads achieved during the similar elections in 2009.

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2013, Official Report, column 709W, on electoral register, what progress the Electoral Commission is making in its investigation as to whether to measure and set targets for the number of electoral registrations; and when such investigations will (a) be completed and (b) have their results reported to Parliament. [189415]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that, as part of its continuing investigation into this issue, it intends to examine the new system of online registration to identify whether this could provide a more effective mechanism for informing the targets for its campaigns.

This includes looking at whether the new system could inform a target based on actual registrations, as opposed to the current proxy of registration form downloads from its www.aboutmyvote.co.uk website. If this proves possible, the Commission will look at what new target could be set for its campaign in the lead up to the 2015 general election.

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Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2013, Official Report, column 709W, on electoral register, what targets existed for electoral registration form downloads in each of the Electoral Commission's registration awareness campaign; and which such campaigns (a) exceeded and (b) did not meet their target. [189416]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that data on download targets is available for the voter registration campaigns it has conducted since 2009.

All campaigns hit their download target and the following table demonstrates the success of each campaign against the target set.

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what evidence will be needed to de-register an elector after the implementation of individual voter registration. [189464]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that, following the implementation of individual electoral registration (IER), in order to remove the entry of a person who is individually registered from the register the electoral registration officer (ERO) must make a determination that the person is no longer entitled to be registered.

The procedures that EROs must follow in making such a determination and the requirements for supporting information, where applicable, are set out in Section 10ZE of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (as inserted by Schedule 1 to the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013) and the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 (and equivalent regulations for Scotland).

Under IER an ERO can determine that a person is no longer entitled to be registered following a formal review of the entry or, in specified circumstances, without undertaking a review if they have information to support such a determination. This information includes notification of successful registration elsewhere from another ERO or the IER ‘digital service'; notification of death from a registrar; or receipt of a death certificate. Otherwise, an ERO may only determine that a person is no longer entitled to be registered if they have information from at least two different sources to support the determination.

The Commission has published detailed guidance for EROs on removing entries from the register which is available on its website:

Part 3: ‘The transition to IER’ (Chapter 8)

http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/162576/Part-3-The-transition-to-IER-in-2014-15.pdf

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Part 4: ‘Maintaining the register throughout the year’ (Chapters 9 and 10).

http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/162578/Part-4-Maintaining-the-register-throughout-the-year.pdf

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission when online voter registration will start; and what steps the commission has taken to inform hon. Members of this change. [189638]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that the transition to individual electoral registration (IER) will commence on 10 June this year, at which point online voter registration will also begin. The commission is working closely with the Cabinet Office to ensure the online voter registration system is operational by the time IER commences. The commission will continue to provide hon. Members with regular updates during the transition period, which will include information about the new online voter registration system.

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission whether the Electoral Commission has conducted any follow-up research on the 14 authorities which piloted data matching on the increase in registration rates on the wards with the lowest turnout. [189698]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has not conducted any follow-up research with the authorities.

However, the commission has reported on further data matching exercises. These include a further test of the use of national databases to find electors not already on the registers (“data mining”), a test of the use of Department for Works and Pensions data to “confirm” existing electors on the registers during the transition to individual electoral registration (IER) and the subsequent Great Britain-wide test of this confirmation process.

Full evaluation reports on these exercises can be found here:

http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/our-work/our-research/electoral-registration-research

Electoral Register: Denbighshire

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the electoral registration figures were in each ward in the recent confirmation dry run conducted in (a) Denbighshire County Council and (b) Vale of Clwyd. [189466]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that the confirmation dry run involved matching all entries on the electoral registers against the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Customer Information System database. Entries would be marked as green if they matched with DWP, amber if they were a partial match or red if there was no match.

The ward results for Denbighshire County Council are as follows:

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The results for the wards that make up the Vale of Clwyd are as follows:

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Electoral Register: Fraud

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2014, Official Report, columns 321-3W, on absent voting, whether the qualitative survey conducted by the Electoral Commission provided any information on current levels of electoral fraud. [189614]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that this qualitative research did not provide any information on current levels of fraud and was not designed to do so.

However, since 2008, the Commission has published annual information on the number of recorded cases of electoral fraud. This data is collected in collaboration with the Association of Chief Police Officers.

The Commission intends to publish data on the number of cases recorded during 2013 by the end of March 2014.

Full details of all this data can be found here:

http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/find-information-by-subject/electoral-fraud/electoral-fraud-responsibilities

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Africa

Mr Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to which African countries he (a) has appointed and (b) intends to appoint prosperity officers. [190210]

Mark Simmonds: In response to the opportunities presented by economic growth across sub-Saharan Africa we have over the last 18 months increased substantially the number of prosperity officers in the region. Additionally we have established Regional Prosperity networks in South, West and East Africa to support the local business environment and UK companies in winning business. We have prosperity officers in 22 countries across sub-Saharan Africa. These are: Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. There are no current plans to appoint additional prosperity officers.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has received from the Bosnia-Herzegovinian government on the political and security situation in that country. [190007]

Mr Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not received representations from the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) on the country's political and security situation. UK Ministers and senior officials continue to urge BiH's leaders to implement the reforms needed to break the current political stalemate. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), met recently the BiH Prime Minister, Vjekoslav Bevanda and emphasised the need for political

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and economic progress in BiH. He advocated continued strong EU engagement in BiH while expressing disappointment that BiH's leaders had not delivered on the EU path so far. We continue to encourage BiH's leaders to respond to the population's calls for reform.

This action is in line with our long-term support for BiH's stability. We are committed to European Union Force's maintenance of the safe and secure environment in BiH, and are proud of the UK's contributions in theatre, and through a reserve company, 1 Scots. Our support for BiH civil society includes the recent British BiH Fellowship Programme, a one-month residential programme designed to equip BiH's future leaders with the skills and experience to lead positive change in their country.

Iran

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on whether in her capacity as High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy the right hon. Baroness Ashton of Upholland scheduled to visit Iran for nuclear talks. [190314]

Hugh Robertson: Baroness Ashton plans to travel to Iran in the coming days, but her visit is still to be confirmed. The focus of the visit would be EU/Iran relations and include discussion of human rights and regional issues.

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is intended that a permanent nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 will include a comprehensive monitoring framework of Iran's future nuclear activities. [190322]

Hugh Robertson: A comprehensive agreement between the E3+3 and Iran will need to include a robust, independent and comprehensive monitoring and verification regime. It will also need to include implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and agreement to the modified code 3.1 of its comprehensive safeguard agreement. This will be a vital element in ensuring Iran's programme is exclusively peaceful. The Joint Plan of Action agreed in November 2013 sets out such a requirement for a rigorous verification framework.

Communities and Local Government

Council Tax: Chelmsford

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people in Chelmsford constituency in receipt of welfare and disability benefits are liable to pay council tax. [189570]

Brandon Lewis [holding answer 4 March 2014]: The Department does not collect this data. Council tax support is set locally, and it is for local authorities to ensure that the effect on specific groups of council tax payers is proportionate and fair. We made a £100 million

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transition grant available in 2013-14 to help councils develop well-designed schemes and maintain incentives to work.

Spending on council tax benefit doubled under the last Government, costing taxpayers £4 billion a year—equivalent to almost £180 a year per household. Welfare reform is vital to tackle the budget deficit left by the last Administration.

Our reforms to localise council tax support now give councils stronger incentives to support local firms, cut fraud, promote local enterprise and get people to into work. We are ending the last Administration's 'something for nothing' culture and making work pay.

Fire Services

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of (a) whole time and (b) retained firefighters were (i) women and (ii) black or from an ethnic minority background in each year since 2010. [188672]

Brandon Lewis: Numbers of staff employed by each fire and rescue authority in England for the stated categories are published on the Department's website in the appendix tables, which accompany the Fire and Rescue Operational Statistics Bulletin:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fire-and-rescue-authorities-operational-statistics

For 2009-10 the numbers are located in appendix tables 5 and 6.

For 2010-11 onwards they are located in appendix tables 6 and 7.

The general trend is an increased proportion of firefighters being recruited from such groups.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people subject to the under-occupancy penalty were evicted in each London borough in the last 12 months. [184626]

Kris Hopkins: In my answer of 27 November 2013, Official Report, column 340W, I observed that a report from the social housing regulator, the Homes and Communities Agency, noted that in the second quarter since the removal of the spare room subsidy (i.e. second quarter of 2013-14), there had been no indication of significant adverse performance in arrears, voids or rent collection.

The Agency has recently published figures for the third quarter of 2013-14 and it notes that median rate arrears fell in the last quarter (from 4.1% to 3.9%), that median void losses were unchanged, and that median rent collection rose from 98% to 99%. The Agency concluded:

“the overall picture on income collection is one of stability”

(HCA, ‘Quarterly Survey of Private Registered Providers 2013/14 Quarter 3’, February 2014).

Moreover, according to the most recent Ministry of Justice statistics, the number of cases lodged by social landlords for repossessions by county court bailiffs across the whole of England and Wales was 4,757 in Q1 2013, 4,600 in Q2 2013 and 4,992 in Q4 2013. As a

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proportion of all landlord repossession claims, the social sector encompassed 51% of all repossession claims in Q1 2013, 50% in Q2 2013, 51% in Q3 2013 and 52% in Q4 2013. This gives lie to some of the recent exaggerated claims made by HM Opposition.

I would add that the removal of the spare room subsidy is estimated to save £490 million of taxpayers' money in Great Britain in 2013-14 by reducing the benefit bill, helping pay off the budget deficit left by the last Administration. The measure also encourages the more effective use of social housing, by addressing the under-occupation of family homes.

Housing: Construction

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make it his policy to assign a proportion of all building permissions granted for developments of over 30 houses for self builds. [189445]

Nick Boles [holding answer 28 February 2014]: The National Planning Policy Framework asks councils through their Local Plans to meet the full, objectively assessed needs for all types of housing in their areas, and to identify and update annually a supply of specific deliverable sites for housing which are sufficient to provide five years worth of housing against their housing needs. To deliver a wide choice of quality homes, the Framework sets out that councils should plan for a mix of housing, taking into account the needs of different groups in the community, such as people wishing to build their own homes.

We have also published draft planning guidance to support councils to plan for people wishing to build their own homes. The guidance makes clear our commitment to enabling more people to build their own home and to make this form of housing a mainstream housing option. The guidance is clear that local planning authorities should plan to meet the strong latent demand for such housing and suggests way to identify that demand, including considering surveying local residents and compiling a list or register of people who want to build their own homes.

In addition to draft Government guidance, The National Self Build Association has published ‘Planning for Custom Build Housing: A Practice Guide’, which offers helpful advice to councils, housing associations, developers, self-build community groups and individuals on the ways they can facilitate self and custom-build development and make it easier for people to build their own homes.

The Government is also providing a wide range of support for those wishing to build their own home, including:

exempting people who want to build their own home from the Community Infrastructure Levy;

freeing up more surplus public sector land in co-operation with the Homes and Communities Agency to bring forward a range of sites for custom build homes;

introducing a £30 million Custom Build Homes Fund which makes available repayable finance for larger multi-unit projects;

enabling community groups who want to build their own homes to apply for a share of £65 million available grant funding through the Affordable Homes Guarantees Programme; and

taking forward proposals to consult on a new 10-unit threshold for section 106 affordable housing contributions.

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Housing: Floods

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward legislative proposals aimed at ensuring that all new properties are fitted with flood resistant bricks. [190152]

Stephen Williams: Building work must meet the functional requirements of schedule 1 to the building regulations. Approved Documents provide guidance on means of compliance with the relevant functional requirements. There is no obligation to adopt any particular solution given in an Approved Document and other methods and materials may be suitable in the particular circumstances.

It is Government policy to ensure that the building regulations are material and technology-neutral to avoid inhibiting product innovation. Flood resistance can be delivered in a number of ways and flood resistant bricks are not the only method.

Approved Document C, ‘Site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture’, refers to advice on flood resilience set out in the joint DCLG/DEFRA/Environment Agency publication, ‘Improving the flood performance of new buildings—flood resilient construction’. This document provides advice on the flood resistance and resilience of different construction materials.

Local Government Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much each local authority has received from the local government emergency fund in the last five years. [189195]

Brandon Lewis: Bellwin provides emergency financial assistance to local authorities to help them meet uninsurable costs they incur when responding to a major emergency in their area. The level of funding over time is casually linked to the scale of flooding or other emergency. It operates by local authorities retrospectively claiming spending back.

The following table sets out how much each local authority has received from the Bellwin scheme of Emergency Financial Assistance to Local Authorities in each of the last five years.

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Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the size was of the local government emergency fund in each year for which figures are available; and how much his Department has allocated in such funding in each of the next three years. [189196]

Brandon Lewis: Bellwin provides emergency financial assistance to local authorities to help them meet uninsurable costs they incur when responding to a major emergency in their area. The level of funding over time is casually linked to the scale of flooding or other emergency. It operates by local authorities retrospectively claiming spending back.

The table sets out the total payments each year made through the Bellwin Scheme of Emergency Financial Assistance to Local Authorities since 2000-01. No payments have yet been made in respect of the recent winter severe weather events.

For 2014-15 and 2015-16, the Department is holding an initial contingency of £4.8 million for Bellwin. As with the recent weather events, additional funding will be provided as necessary. Allocations for years beyond 2015-16 will be determined at the next spending round.

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Non-domestic Rates: Lancashire

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been collected in business rates in (a) Hyndburn constituency and (b) Rossendale in each of the last 10 years. [187352]

Brandon Lewis: Details of the amount of non-domestic rates (in £ million) that were collected in (a) Hyndburn and (b) Rossendale local authority areas in each of the last 10 years are shown in the following table. The data are the amount that was collected in the year, irrespective of the year to which it relates before the deduction of any allowances for the cost of collection. Data are not collected at constituency level.

Data were collected on auditor certified national non-domestic rates (NNDR3) out-turn forms completed annually by all billing authorities in England.

These figures will reflect changes to the overall size and valuation of hereditaments for example new buildings, as well as changes to different types of rate relief.

We announced a £1 billion business rates support package at the autumn statement including:

a 2% cap in retail prices index increase in business rates for 2014-15;

a business rate discount of £1,000 for smaller retail premises, for two years from April 2014-will benefit around 300,000 shops, pubs and restaurants;

doubling small business rate relief extended for another year which will support 540,000 of the smallest businesses;

a 50% discount for 18 months to new occupants of vacant shops; and

allowing ratepayers to pay bills over 12 instalments (rather than 10).

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Property Development: Floods

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many times he has exercised his power of calling in a planning application to (a) approve and (b) reject a planning application for (i) housing and (ii) commercial development on a flood plain or in an area of flood risk. [186805]

Nick Boles: As I indicated in my answer of 11 February 2014, Official Report, column 560W, over 99% of the new residential units in planning decisions notified to the Environment Agency were decided in line with their advice on flood risk.

Since the establishment of the National Planning Casework Unit in March 2011, one application has been called in for major development on an area of flood risk. That application has yet to be determined.

Call-in powers are used very selectively and rarely (for example, just 10 applications were called-in across England in 2012-13 according to Planning Inspectorate statistics), as this involves Ministers taking the planning decision away from the local authority and determining it centrally. In a locally-led planning system, councils should take the lead in addressing flood risk.

However, we have provided clear national guidance to local authorities. The National Planning Policy Framework states that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided. Local planning authorities should direct development away from areas at highest risk, including floodplains, but where development is necessary, it must be demonstrated that it is safe and will not increase flood risk elsewhere.

As I explained in my answer of 10 February 2014, Official Report, column 418W, there will invariably be some development in flood risk areas, not least for the fact that many towns and cities are in flood risk areas.

Flood prevention measures, like robust flood and coastal defences, can make development appropriate where it would otherwise not be. For example, London is at risk of tidal flooding, as evident from the North sea floods of 1953 which inflicted immense damage on the East End of London. However, since 1983, the Thames Barrier has mitigated that risk.

National planning policy is clear that any new buildings that are needed in flood risk areas are appropriately flood resistant and resilient. Mitigation measures such as land raising, landscaping, raised thresholds and re-arranging the internal uses of buildings, can sometimes also make development acceptable in such areas. Such measures can be made a requirement of any planning consent by the local authority.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Leeds Central of 11 February 2014, Official Report, column 560W, on housing: floods, if he will bring forward measures to levy fines on developers who build on flood plains and other flood threatened areas against advice by the Environment Agency not to build on those sites; and if he will use the money raised to support recurrent flood victims. [188439]

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Nick Boles: Developers cannot build without planning permission by the local planning authority. Councils already have a range of enforcement powers to tackle unauthorised development, including failure to meet the conditions attached to any planning permission. These powers allow for the issuing of unlimited fines on indictment in the Crown court.

As I indicated in my answer of 11 February 2014, Official Report, column 560W, over 99% of the new residential units in planning decisions notified to the Environment Agency were decided in line with their advice on flood risk.

The National Planning Policy Framework states that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided. Local planning authorities should direct development away from areas at highest risk, including floodplains, but where development is necessary, it must be demonstrated that it is safe and will not increase flood risk elsewhere. This gives councils the robust ability to reject unacceptable planning applications.

As I explained in my answer of 10 February 2014, Official Report, column 418W, there may invariably be the need for some development in flood risk areas, not least for the fact that many towns and cities are in flood risk areas. However, flood prevention measures, like robust flood and coastal defences, can make development acceptable where it would otherwise not be. For example, London is at risk of tidal flooding, as evident from the North sea floods of 1953 which inflicted immense damage on the East End of London. However, since 1983, the Thames Barrier has mitigated that risk.

Moreover, national planning policy is clear that any new buildings that are needed in flood risk areas are appropriately flood resistant and resilient. Mitigation measures such as land raising, landscaping, raised thresholds and re-arranging the internal uses of buildings, can sometimes also make development acceptable in such areas. Such measures can be made a. requirement of any planning consent by the local authority, and such requirements are enforceable as I indicated above.

Theatres: Morecambe

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if his Department will provide funding to compensate the Grand Theatre, Morecambe for increases in the rent of their car park. [188366]

Brandon Lewis: I understand the car park may be owned by Lancaster city council. In that context, Ministers and my Department have had no role in such any decision over rents, and this is a matter that my hon. Friend may wish to take up with the council directly.

My Department has published statutory Best Value guidance on how councils should work constructively with voluntary and community groups. This can be found at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/best-value-statutory-guidance--4

It notes how local authorities should actively consult and engage with the voluntary and community sector and service users, before making any decision which may have a knock-on effect on community facilities, services or the wider community.

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Education

Academies

Mr Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the total cost has been of legal fees involved in the transfer of title deeds for schools from local authorities to academies to date. [189957]

Mr Timpson: We do not record the cost of legal fees incurred by local authorities and academy trusts. The Department for Education is not a party to these transactions.

Mr Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department takes to monitor the value of land sold off by academies. [189958]

Mr Timpson: Academy trusts must apply for consent from the Secretary of State to dispose of land. The application process involves following guidance and supplying information as set out on the Department for Education's website:

http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/executiveagencies/efa/efafundingfinance/b00231497/efa-academies-capital/academypins

One of the requirements is for the academy trust to ensure it maximises receipt value in order to reinvest in its estate, including obtaining a valuation by the district valuation officer. The estimated value of the receipt is one of the factors taken into account when considering whether to grant consent for the disposal.

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make it his policy that free schools and academies be granted discretion to give preference to children who attend their nursery classes during the admissions process for a reception place. [R] [190313]

Mr Laws: The chief schools adjudicator's 2013 annual report highlighted that the practice of giving preference to those attending the nursery has been found to be unfair to other local children. Ministers are therefore considering the chief schools adjudicator's recommendation that they issue further guidance for admission authorities so that there is fair access to schools for all children.

Adoption and Foster Care

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many applications to foster or adopt have been made by individuals with a registered disability in each of the last five years; and how many of those applications were successful. [190305]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education does not hold information on the number of fostering or adoption applications made by individuals with a registered disability.

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department gives to local authorities and adoption agencies on the prominence given to disabilities in determining whether an applicant is fit to foster a child. [190306]

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Mr Timpson: Government Guidance to local authorities and other agencies that assess the suitability of prospective foster carers is set out in the ‘Assessment and approval of foster carers: Amendments to the Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations Volume 4: Fostering Services'. When assessing a person's suitability to foster, fostering services must obtain a range of information. This information, specified in the Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011 as amended by the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review and Fostering Services (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2011, includes details of the applicant's health, supported by a medical report. There is no specific reference to disability.

The National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services are clear that people who are interested in fostering should be treated fairly, without prejudice, openly and with respect. Prospective foster carers are considered in terms of their capacity to look after children in a safe and responsible way that meets the child's development needs.

Children in Care

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the contribution by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families of 21 January 2014, Official Report, column 275, on the Staying Put Agenda, what work is being carried out by the National Children's Bureau; and when he expects it to be completed. [190206]

Mr Timpson: The Children's Partnership, led by the National Children's Bureau, and the Who Cares? Trust, held a seminar on 24 February 2014 on the implications for children's residential care of the Staying Put foster care reforms. The seminar considered the practical and legal issues of introducing staying put arrangements in children's homes. The seminar was attended by a range of stakeholders including: care leavers; voluntary sector organisations; representatives of private children's homes; and Department for Education officials. I understand that The Children's Partnership and the Who Cares? Trust will hold further discussions with interested parties on some of the issues raised at the seminar. At this early stage, we are not yet aware of when they expect these discussions to end.

Faith Schools

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils of each ethnicity who (a) were and (b) were not eligible for free school meals attended faith (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in each year for which records are available. [190275]

Mr Laws: The information requested can be produced only at disproportionate cost.

Data on the characteristics of pupils and schools are provided in the Department for Education's annual statistical release 'Schools, pupils and their characteristics'. The latest release of ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics' is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2013

The following information is published:

1. Table 2d (national tables) shows the number of pupils in schools by the religious character of the school.

2. Table 3a (national tables) shows the number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals.

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3. Table 4a (national tables) shows the number of pupils of compulsory school age by their ethnicity.

4. The underlying data (school level schools pupils) contains the religious character of each school that returned school census information (where applicable), the number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals and an ethnic breakdown of the pupils in each school, but does not combine these factors.

Similar data for previous years are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers

Free Schools

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what the (a) lowest and (b) highest number of children educated in a single free school class were in (i) 2012 and (ii) 2013; [189587]

(2) what estimate his Department has made of the average class size in free schools open to date. [189588]

Mr Timpson: Data on class sizes are taken from the spring school census, which records a snapshot of pupil activity at a set time on the census date. The range of activities included in the snapshot includes activities not conducted in a traditional classroom setting. Such gatherings in schools at the set time on census day range from one (small or one-to-one tuition groups) to more than 100 pupils involved in physical education activities or other gatherings outside of a traditional classroom setting.

Further information on class sizes, including those in free schools, is provided in the publication ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2013', which can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2013

Figures for January 2014 will be published in the summer.

I provided a response to the hon. Member on the average class size in free schools open to date in my answer to question 187190, which was published on 13 February 2014, Official Report, column 820W.

Further Education: Free School Meals

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether (a) further education colleges and (b) sixth form colleges have access to the Online Free School Meal Eligibility Checking Service. [189839]

Mr Laws: Under the information sharing powers within section 110 of the Education Act 2005, only local authorities have direct access to the online Free School Meal Eligibility Checking Service.

GCSE

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of pupils of each ethnicity who were (a) eligible and (b) not eligible for free school meals and who did not have statements of Special Education Needs did not achieve an A* to C GCSE grade in (i) English, (ii) mathematics and (iii) either English or mathematics in the most recent year for which figures are available. [190232]

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Mr Laws: The number and proportion of pupils of each ethnicity who were (a) eligible and (b) not eligible for free school meals and who did not have statements of Special Education Needs who did not achieve an A*

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to C GCSE grade in.(i) English, (ii) mathematics and (iii) either English or mathematics for 2012/13 is provided in the following tables.

Primary Education

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which primary schools offer nursery provision on or off site; and which of those schools have been rated outstanding by Ofsted. [190231]

Elizabeth Truss: This is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Her Majesty's Chief Inspector to write to my hon. Friend and a copy of his response will be placed in the House Libraries.

Pupils: Absenteeism

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average daily number of children absent from school is; and what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for their non-attendance. [190354]

Elizabeth Truss: The requested information has been provided in the following table.

Figures for 2009-10 have been provided for context. Between 2009/10 and 2012/13, the number of absent pupils each day has fallen from 378,340 to 334,340, of which unauthorised absence has fallen from 63,505 to 60,405.

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Pupils: Disadvantaged

Mr Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 5 November 2013, Official Report, column 1158W, on pupils: disadvantaged, how many secondary school students sitting GCSEs were eligible for free schools meals in 2012-13; what number and proportion of such students were entered for the EBacc suite of subjects; how many and what proportion of such students achieved grades A* to C in EBacc subjects in 2012-13; and what proportion of such students entered for the EBacc achieved the required grades. [189963]

Mr Laws: In 2012/13, the number of pupils eligible for free school meals at the end of key stage 4 was 85,182.

The following table provides information on the number and percentage of pupils who were entered for and achieved the EBacc qualification by free school meal eligibility in 2012/13. The table also shows the number and percentage of pupils who achieved an A*-C in each of the EBacc subjects by free school meal eligibility.

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Schools: Finance

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2014, Official Report, column 535W, on schools: finance, when he plans to publish the consultation on a fair funding formula; and what the timetable for the consultation will be. [190200]

Mr Laws: Following the Chancellor's announcement in June, we expect to announce the next steps, including the timetable, within the next few weeks.

Schools: Land

Mr Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department takes to monitor the whereabouts of title deeds for schools in the UK. [189955]

Mr Timpson: We do not hold central records for title deeds; they are the responsibility of the organisation that holds the title to the land on which schools are situated. Title deeds for local authority maintained schools will be held by each local authority. The deeds for an academy's land interest (usually a long lease) are held by each academy trust and sometimes also the local authority or diocese freeholder of the land.

Social Workers: Crimes of Violence

Mrs Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department issues to local authority social services departments on preventing violence and other abusive behaviour against social workers in the course of their work. [190167]

Mr Timpson: Ensuring the safety of social workers is the responsibility of local authorities as their employers. The Department for Education issues no guidance as to how those responsibilities should be undertaken.

Special Educational Needs

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what monitoring procedures his Department has in place to ensure that assessment of pupils' special needs are accurate. [190008]

Mr Timpson: Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that assessments of special educational needs (SEN) are accurate, having regard to the statutory guidance provided in the SEN Code of Practice.

If local authorities carry out an assessment but do not issue an SEN statement, parents can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) against their decision. Parents can also appeal to the tribunal if the local authority issues a statement following an assessment but the parents do not believe that it accurately reflects their child's SEN or are unhappy with the SEN provision specified in it.

SEN statements will be replaced by Education, Health and Care plans following the Children and Families Bill, and these rights of appeal will be maintained and extended to young people.

The Department for Education recently consulted publicly on a draft SEN Code of Practice (the draft is available from the consultation pages of the GOV.UK website). The draft code includes detailed guidance on how and when to carry out an education, health and care assessment.

Revisions are being made to the draft code to take account of developments during the passage of the Children and Families Bill and responses to the consultation, which came from a wide range of organisations in the statutory and voluntary and community sectors, including those in the SEN and disability field. We will continue to work with those who must have regard to the Code of Practice, and with those who support children, young people and families, as this is taken forward. Once this work is completed, a revised Code of Practice will be placed before both Houses of Parliament for approval.

Teachers: Training

Mrs Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what criteria are used to decide on the level of bursaries offered to (a) trainee religious education teachers and (b) teachers who specialise in other subjects. [189979]

Mr Laws: The criteria used to decide the level of bursaries offered to trainee teachers are consistent across all subjects. Bursaries for initial teacher training (ITT) are designed to incentivise application to ITT courses. Decisions are therefore informed by the number of applicants a subject receives, as well as final recruitment levels. Other factors such as longer-term recruitment patterns and any observable trends are also taken into account.

International Development

Developing Countries: Infant Mortality

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to provide better healthcare and more trained midwives to reduce the deaths of new born babies in the poorest countries; and if she will make a statement. [190279]

Lynne Featherstone: The UK Government is making newborn health a priority and has committed to save 250,000 newborn lives by 2015. We recognise that this

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requires the presence of skilled attendants at birth—in different countries these may be midwives, nurses, doctors or other skilled medical personnel—and we are funding programmes to increase the numbers and availability of these health workers. Further, we have supported the development of the Every Newborn Action Plan, which will be launched later this year and will provide concrete recommendations to enable all countries to reduce newborn deaths.

We fully recognise the importance of midwives and other health workers as a critical intervention. We also believe that goals or targets around maternal and newborn health should measure outcomes, such as reductions in mortality, rather than processes, to ensure that the impact of quality is also captured.

Pagers

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many pagers have been provided to staff by her Department since May 2010; and what the cost to the Department was of providing those pagers. [190055]

Mr Duncan: Eight pagers were provided to staff in the DFID Press Office during the period May 2010 through to August 2013; the pagers are no longer in use. The cost of providing these pagers was £2,376 per year.

Home Department

Pagers

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many pagers have been

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provided to staff by her Department since May 2010; and what the cost to the Department was of providing those pagers. [190054]

Karen Bradley: The number of pagers that have been provided to staff in the Home Department with a start date of May 2010 and that are still active is 13. The monthly billing charge is £4.13 per pager.